America's Top Corporate Law Firms for 2013

<p class='bwalignc'> <i>Directors and General Counsel Rank Top 25 U.S. Law Firms</i> </p>

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

America's Top Corporate Law Firms for 2013

08:45 EDT Tuesday, May 14, 2013

NEW YORK (Business Wire) -- Corporate Board Member magazine and global business advisory firm FTI
Consulting, Inc. (NYSE: FCN) today announced the results of the 13th
annual America's Best Corporate Law Firms study, a comprehensive
ranking by U.S. corporate directors and general counsel of the top 25
corporate law firms.

According to the 2013 study, New York's Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher &
Flom receives top ranking among corporate directors, a position it has
held since the first survey in 2001. Washington, D.C.-based Jones Day
and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz placed second and third,
respectively, followed by Weil, Gotshal & Manges in fourth place. The
fifth- and sixth-place rankings are held by Baker & McKenzie of Chicago
and Sullivan & Cromwell of New York, respectively.

Looking further down the list, many of the 2013 firms remain steadfast
among the top firms in recent years. Palo Alto-based Wilson Sonsini
Goodrich & Rosati rose to 10th place in 2013 from 15th in
2012. Four new firms were added to this year's list: Houston-based
Vinson & Elkins, Washington, D.C.-based Covington & Burling,
Milwaukee-based Foley & Lardner, and St. Louis firm Bryan Cave.

“FTI Consulting commends these first-class law firms, including Skadden,
Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, ranking first among corporate directors for
a groundbreaking 13th year in a row,” said Basil
Imburgia, senior managing director and North American Practice
Leader– Forensic
and Litigation Consulting at FTI Consulting. “We are proud to once
again partner with Corporate Board Member magazine to honor these
firms with superior client service on a variety of corporate legal
matters.”

In a separate survey of corporate general counsel, Wachtell, Lipton,
Rosen & Katz moved into the first-place position, with longtime leader
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom ranking second and Los
Angeles-based Latham & Watkins in third. In fourth place this year is
Baker & McKenzie, which jumped seven places from its 2012 ranking;
similarly, fifth-place holder Gibson Dunn & Crutcher rose eight places
from last year. The 2013 list also features six firms that did not
appear last year, including Miami-based Greenberg Traurig,
Pittsburgh-based Reed Smith, Boston-based Goodwin Procter, San
Francisco-based firms Morrison & Foerster and Littler Mendelson, and New
York's Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson.

“Once again we congratulate all the organizations—both returning faces
and new ones—selected as top corporate law firms by directors and their
general counsel peers,” said TK Kerstetter, chairman of Corporate Board
Member(R). “These rankings show that directors and general
counsel consider them to be industry leaders, many of them year after
year, by their exceptional contribution to the business community.”

The following are the top 25 national corporate law firms for 2013,
according to the directors surveyed by Corporate Board Member/FTI
Consulting (with their 2012 ranking in parentheses):

The America's Best Corporate Law Firms survey was conducted
January-March 2013 as part of the annual Law in the Boardroom survey,
which asked directors and general counsel of U.S. publicly traded
companies to weigh in on current governance and legal matters. Among the
list of top concerns for U.S. directors and general counsel are
executive compensation, leadership succession, data and cyber security,
M&A, regulatory compliance, and shareholder communications. The full
analysis of the results of the Law in the Boardroom study are
featured in the second-quarter 2013 issue of Corporate Board Member
and are available for download at (http://www.fticonsulting.com/global2/critical-thinking/reports/law-in-the-boardroom.aspx)

On May 14, Corporate Board Member and FTI Consulting will host
the fifth annual Legal Recognition Dinner at the Grand Hyatt in New York
City, honoring distinguished general counsel and the top 25 national
corporate law firms as identified by board members and general counsel
in the 2013 survey.

About FTI Consulting

FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to
helping organizations protect and enhance enterprise value in an
increasingly complex legal, regulatory and economic environment. With
over 3,900 employees located in 24 countries, FTI Consulting
professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and
overcome complex business challenges in areas such as investigations,
litigation, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory issues, reputation
management, strategic communications and restructuring. The Company
generated $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. More
information can be found at www.fticonsulting.com.

About Corporate Board Member

Corporate Board Member(R), an NYSE Euronext Company, is the
leading information resource for senior officers and directors of
publicly traded corporations, large private companies, and Global 1000
firms. The quarterly publication, Corporate Board Member magazine,
provides readers with decision-making tools to deal with the strategic
and corporate governance challenges confronting their boards. Corporate
Board Member further extends its governance leadership through an online
resource center, conferences, roundtables, and timely research. The
magazine maintains the most comprehensive, up-to-date database of
directors and officers serving on boards of publicly traded companies
listed with NYSE Euronext and The NASDAQ OMX Group Inc. stock exchanges. www.boardmember.com

About NYSE Governance Services

NYSE Governance Services is an integrated suite of resources for public
and privately held companies worldwide seeking to create a leadership
advantage through corporate governance, risk, ethics, and compliance
practices. NYSE Governance Services leverages the expertise of Corpedia(R),
a leader in risk assessment and e-learning for ethics and compliance,
and Corporate Board Member(R), a trusted source on governance
matters for company directors and C-level executives—both NYSE Euronext
companies. NYSE Governance Services offers a range of training programs,
advisory services, benchmarking analysis and scorecards, exclusive
access to peer-to-peer events, and thought leadership on key governance
topics for company directors and C-level executives. www.nyse.com/governance

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